An increased packaging density of electronic components utilized in communication, computer, and business machine applications has created challenging problems with respect to interconnections, due not only to the physical difficulty of manufacturing small conductive and plastic parts, but also with respect to the forces of closure required by traditional pin and socket type connectors. Thus, in prior constructions wherein 10, 20, or as many as 100 interconnections were of necessity to be made to provide a connect, disconnect function between components, center-to-center spacings were frequently as much as 0.150 inches or larger with spacings of 0.100 inches and somewhat less quite common. These spacings allowed for production of connectors utilizing metal stampings for contacts and plastic moldings for housings readily achievable by state of the art manufacturing processes. Even there, high forces associated with high pin count frequently required jack screws or other hardware to force connector halves together and apart. Higher and higher line counts, extending into the hundreds for connect and disconnect requirements, have driven manufacturing of metal parts from traditional stamping and forming to etching and the use of photolithography to achieve spacings that have dropped from 0.050 inches to 0.025 inches and now are heading toward 0.010 inches or even less.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,413 granted Oct. 12, 1976 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,311 granted Nov. 8, 1977 detail a type of connector that utilizes contact pads or traces formed on the substrates of flexible film and compressed by an elastomeric body to effect an interconnection. Derivative concepts from these disclosed in the patents have not only allowed connectors to be designed in the smaller spacings mentioned above, but have proven to provide low resistance, stable electric interface interconnections that require less force of engagement.
Certain types of component interconnection, such as components that must be changed frequently by an end user, makes it desirable for interconnection and disconnection to be trouble-free and not require the use of hardware or relatively complicated manipulation of components together and apart. Interconnecting certain types of memory components, such as hard disk drives, to computers is an example of this requirement.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a high density connector for use in interconnecting and disconnecting components having large numbers of closely spaced circuit paths. It is a further object to provide a connector for components that is easy to use in effecting a connection or disconnection between the components. It is still a further object to provide a high density connector for connecting numerous circuit paths together with a reduced force requirement with the interconnection achieved through the plugging of one component into the other component.